Original Announcement

A defect has been discovered in the HP FutureSmart firmware v4.7 that affects card authentication with all versions of Pharos iMFP.

Recommendation:

Until an update is issued, avoid deployment of any HP FutureSmart firmware v4.7, or later, into printers with Pharos iMFP.

Symptoms:

User selects a function that prompts the Pharos Authentication Service, shown in the image here.

User then swipes proximity card while the Pharos Authentication Service is present on the device screen.

The login process appears to commence, however, the Pharos Authentication Service remains on the screen and the printer remains locked to the user.

Subsequent card swipes will be ignored until the printer’s inactivity timer lapses or a user hits the Reset button from the home menu.

Cause:

HP has identified a defect within the FutureSmart 4.7 firmware that prevents the printer from authenticating a user when the user waves a proximity card while the Pharos Authentication Service is active on the device interface.

Workaround:

Users should wave their proximity card over the reader as soon as they walk up to a selected printer - while the printer's home menu is still displayed on the LCD screen. In other words, the first thing a user should do is authenticate at the device using their proximity card--before touching the device screen to select a function.

If a printer appears to be unresponsive upon swiping a badge, press the Reset button appearing in the top left of the printer’s home screen. This will clear all settings and allow a user to successfully swipe a badge from the home screen.

Note:

The Username / Password workflow is not affected by this defect. Users may select a function and sign in normally when entering a username and password within the Pharos Authentication Service.

Solution:

HP is currently investigating a solution and will provide updated firmware that solves this issue. We will update this alert as soon as we have received notification of a resolution.

Yes. Any / all forms of badge swipe events from any / all readers would be affected.

It is our understanding that HP is currently working on a firmware fix for this issue which we hope to see soon. I'll make sure this blog is updated when the new firmware has been evaluated by our team.